Come Fly with Me To NeverLand
by RoseDragonWitch
Summary: (Part of my HP Fairytale series) Lily's imagination has a bad habit of flying away. Fearless, outspoken, and determined, but her life is far from perfect with her emotionally distant parents, a strict Nanny, and an unfriendly older sister. But one night a boy named James comes crashing into her room on a broomstick…
1. Prologue: I don't want to Grow Up

**(Sorry for the long wait. But I've had a lot of other things to do around that time. But here is the prologue for my next Harry Potter characters in a fairytale. Please let me know what you think.)**

**Prologue: I don't want to Grow Up**

It was an unseasonably cold August evening that swept over the grey and dull city. The chilly night wind blew across the almost empty streets, the occasional carriage going down the cobblestoned roads with people wrapped up in coats and scarves; looking eerie as they walked underneath the feeble light of the gas lamps.

Inside one particular house, made of a strong brick, and dark windows there was a young girl getting ready for supper with her family—at least she was _supposed_ to be down for dinner about ten minutes ago…

"Lily?" called her mother's voice from downstairs.

Lilly Evans didn't hear her at first because she was so lost in her book story: about faraway places, magical castles, wishing wells, magic spells, flying through the air, a brave heroine stands for what she believes in…

Though she had read this part so many times, it was her favorite part. It was just at the end of the couple's journey and they had reunited after countless adventures and hardships:

_They didn't need words to express what they felt in their hearts. For it was here that they knew; as they stood in that field underneath the star shower they knew that they were meant to be together. And no matter how far, or how long they were separated, their hearts will belong to no other…_

"LILY!" screamed a voice and Lily jumped, causing the book to fall out of her lap.

"Coming Mum!" she cried out, leaping out of her chair and running out of the nursery; stopping only to glance up at the old, grandfather clock that chimed 7:13. Oh, no, she was late to dinner again. Deciding that the quickest way to get downstairs, she swung herself up onto the banister as soon as she reached the stairs and slid down it—landing with a bounce at the bottom.

Unfortunately, her grumpy nanny had been cleaning there when she landed.

"You are a lady," her nanny scolded, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the kitchen door. "You are not supposed to act so wild!"

"But it was fun," Lily said at once. "And I was running late."

"That doesn't make it right," she hissed, pushing her off to the kitchen. "And you are always late!"

Lily was rushed into the dining room, apologizing to her parents and sister before she took her seat, across from Petunia.

"Must we always go through this, Lily?" her mother asked her tiredly as Lily folded her napkin across her lap. "Is it too much to ask that we all have meals together?"

"I'm sorry," Lily muttered embarrassed. "But I was reading and…"

"That stupid book again?" Petunia asked knowingly.

Lily shot her a dark look. "It's not a stupid book. I just lost track of things."

"Enough you two," father said, looking at his two daughters. "Lily, while I'm glad that you like to read, please try to remember that we all need to eat."

"Sorry, father," she said humbly, and began cutting into her food that was already turning cold. She sat there quietly as her parents talked to each other on how father's business was going. Once in a while Petunia would start talking about the family next door, and how their son had caused some trouble around town.

Lily was polite enough to keep her opinions to herself. Though she loved her family, she couldn't see why they insisted on eating dinner like this… it was always so quiet that she might've just as well ate alone.

"Petunia?" she asked in a voice that sounded unusually loud in this quietness, "Can you pass the salt?"

Petunia slid the salt shaker across the table at her, but Lily couldn't help but notice how her sister's neck was bent at an odd angle so that she could see out the darkening window behind her, and Lily knew that Petunia was trying to see over her head so that she could look into the neighbor's yard again. But Lily knew better than to ask, for Petunia was sure to deny everything; so after she added the salt, she sighed and went back to her bland dinner.

"Girls?" father suddenly said and they looked up. He put down his fork and said, "I have some exciting news."

"Yes?" Petunia asked excited.

"Well," he looked to his wife and said with a smile, "You both are getting pretty old now."

"I'm only ten," Lily interrupted at once.

"And you are becoming a young lady," her father said firmly. "You'll be eleven very soon. And you are almost thirteen Petunia. So your mother and I decided that it was about time that you both left the nursery."

Petunia looked thrilled and jumped up eagerly. "Do you mean it?! Oh, thank you father! I'll go and get ready right now."

"Now now," he laughed, waving his hands down at her. "I'm afraid that you'll have to wait a few more days before everything's ready. But this weekend, you both will be getting your own rooms. We feel that you are old enough. You both will stay in the nursery for two more days. Your rooms are almost finished being set up. Your names have just been added on the doors just this afternoon."

Petunia ran around the table to hug her father, but Lily just sat there.

"Lily?" her mother asked in surprise.

"What?" Lily asked, coming out of her daze. "Oh, that's great. Really," she said, hoping that she sounded upbeat. Now, she knew that her parents had the best intentions, she couldn't help but feel a little bit sad… she practically grew up in the nursery after all. "But—ah—what will happen to that room?"

"Well, it will be made into an office or something," mother said smiling, looking a little surprised at how her younger daughter was taking the news.

Petunia didn't notice. She finished hugging her father and gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek before she ran out of the room and up to the nursery. However, Lily just sat there, trying to think it through.

"Lily what is it?" her father asked her. "We thought that you'd be pleased to get your own room."

"I guess," she said, poking her fork around the edges of the plate. "I mean, it's not that I don't appreciate it. It's just a surprise that all… I really like the nursery and I never had my own room before." She looked up and said, "You know, you can give Tuney her room right now. I can still sleep in the nursery. I really don't mind."

"Sweetheart," mother said in surprise. "I know that you like the nursery, but it's just a room. You're getting older and it's about time that you start getting used to it. This is all part of growing up."

Lily nodded in understanding. But she couldn't help herself from saying, "Why do we have to grow up? I wish we could be kids forever."

"Would you rather stay in that nursery forever?" her mother asked her. "I know that change takes some time getting used to, but you won't be a little kid forever. It's about time to start learning that."

"Well, no. I know all that. I'm just not sure I'm ready for all the responsibilities," she said firmly.

"And I'm sure that there's some fairyland somewhere that exists," father said grimly, continuing to eat. "Like from your storybooks. But the sad thing is that we don't live there now do we? I'm sure that once you get used to the idea, you'll learn to love it."

Lily blushed a little before she nodded and forced a smile on for her parent's sake. She finished up her food before she went up the stairs slowly. She walked by the old black and white photos on the walls, and little knickknacks that littered the shelves. She glance sadly at the salmon-pink wallpaper as she headed down a long hallway. Sure enough, she spotted the two doors with plaques on it. She knew that daddy had several men over for the last few days working on them, but she just assumed that it was for something small. But when she looked closer, she saw the door closest to her had Petunia's name, and the one next to it had hers… she mustn't have noticed them in her hurry to get down to the dinner table.

She turned around, almost tripping on the worn carpet as she went back to the nursery to see that Petunia was already in her nightgown.

"This is so great," Petunia said, brushing her hair. "Soon we'll both get our own rooms. We won't have to share anymore."

"I like sharing with you though," Lily said, walking over to the comfy chair in the corner and picked up the book she dropped earlier.

Petunia rolled her eyes. "Lily," she said. "Grow up. I'm already thirteen and I still sleep in the nursery. You know, some of my friends are teasing me about that. I think it's time for a change."

She walked away to the small bathroom that they shared and Lily heard the water running as she brushed her teeth. Lily just shook her head as she quickly changed into her own nightgown and waited for her sister to finish with the bathroom. As she looked around her at the bright walls and clock that stood in front of the door—her eyes then trailed over the two beds that sat on opposite sides of the room, with two matching wardrobes that held their clothes. There were trunks at the foot of both beds that held their toys or other sorted objects.

She walked between the beds, her bare feet feeling nice on the thick rug as she headed to the cushioned window seat by a large window and stared out at the dark city; her fantasy book in her hands. She wished with all her heart that she could go to the place that her book described. About a far off land with a castle surrounded by green fields and a sparkling lake filled with mermaids. But instead, she was trapped here in this house.

It wasn't really the idea of getting a new room that she was so sad about. It's just that she heard from everyone else that once you moved out of your nursery, you start to get treated like a grown-up. And it was that she wasn't ready for just yet. She wished that she could just close her eyes and when she next opened them, she would be in that world of magic.

She shut her eyes and dreamt. She was flying through the night sky, away from this house and to a story of her own. To have a few adventures

She sighed and opened her eyes… only to see that a pair of hazel eyes was looking back at her through the glass. She gasped in shock and fell backwards onto the floor.

She crawled away from the window as fast as she could just as her sister came back.

"You can have the bathroom now," she said, kicking off her slippers. "I just…" she then saw Lily on the floor. "Now what are you doing?"

She was shaking and pointed to the window with a trembling finger. "There was someone there!" she gasped, surprised at how calm her voice sounded. "I just saw them! There was a pair of eyes!"

Petunia stared at her before she ran over and pushed the two window doors open. She then stuck her head out and looked around her before she pulled her head back in. "Enough games, Lily," she said annoyed, closing the doors with a little more force than she meant to so that they rattled.

"Games?" Lily repeated in outrage. "This isn't a game! I saw them!" she got up onto her feet and said loudly, now looking through the glass herself, "I did! I really did see eyes looking back at me!"

"Well, there's nothing there now," Petunia snapped. "Unless they could fly, there is no way they could be there anyway. We're on the second floor, Lily!"

"I'm telling you! There was someone there! You don't understand," she said stubbornly.

"You're probably dreaming," Petunia ended the conversation briskly as she pushed her over towards her bed on the other side of the room. "I think it will be good for both of us to finally get our own rooms. You really need to get out of here."

Lily gave her sister a dark look, but didn't say anything as she crawled into bed, her back to the window and waited for Petunia to turn off the lights.

Little did she know that there was someone listening in to everything they said… for outside on the roof… the owner of those hazel eyes was lying on his stomach, and watching through the window below him at the little girl with red hair.


	2. The Boy on the Broom

**Chapter 1: The Boy on the Broom**

Lily spent most of the next day in the nursery, trying to commit her childhood room to memory. She knew that she would soon be forced to leave the nursery—not that she hated her new room of course. She had gotten a good look at it early that morning… a beautiful with a large four-poster bed with lacey curtains and a small table with a grown-up tea set and even some of her toys in a few of bright chairs.

While it was nice, and she thanked her parents for all the work that went into it, she didn't feel ready for it just yet.

Petunia, however, just absolutely _loved_ her room, which looked just like hers, only a little bigger. As soon as she saw it, she squealed with joy and begged her parents if she could move in early.

"Are you sure darling?" mother asked formally. "You sure that you don't want to spend your last couple nights in the nursery?"

"Mother, please," Petunia begged until their father laughed at her eagerness and agreed that it was alright.

Lily sighed. "You know," she said, "I don't have to leave yet?"

Her father gave her a stern look. "Love, it's for the best."

Lily just nodded, though it didn't make her feel any better. Later that day, her nanny came in and took all the old toys that she and Petunia didn't play with anymore and moved them to a carriage that was waiting outside for them for charity.

Now Lily had no problems with that, for she did feel like she had outgrown a lot of her toys and knew that someone else would love them in her stead. But she refused to have any of her fairytale books taken out just yet, which they left on a shelf for her to keep her happy. But pretty much everything else was taken out until the room was almost bare. The room now seemed cold and empty—which only got even more so when Nanny started to take Petunia's clothes out of the wardrobe and moved them to her new closet in her room.

Lily watched her as Petunia looked under the bed and in every corner, making sure that she didn't miss even a sock.

"I'm going to miss you," Lily said softly, sitting cross-legged on her bed, her book on her lap.

Her sister turned to her. "Miss me?" Petunia repeated irritable. "We both live here, Lily! We see each other every day! I need my space too you know. My room is just next to yours. Grow up."

She then marched out as Lily lay down. Grow up, grow up… she knew that she was being a little childish, but she just didn't know how to grow up any faster than she was at the moment. And what would they say if she said that she wasn't ready to grow up just yet? She didn't want to know.

For the rest of the evening, she paced the room, lost in her thoughts and leaving only to sit with her family later that night for dinner. She didn't say much, but Petunia was more than happy to do all the talking. She said about how she couldn't wait to tell her friends all about her room and even started asking if she could have them over for tea so that they could see it for themselves.

"I don't see why not," father answered after he took a long sip of his tea. "But I think you can wait for a little while. We're going to be having guests of our own here in a couple days, and I think it's best if you wait until after that before you have some friends over."

"That's probably a good idea," Petunia said agreeably as she began to tell them that would work perfectly because she still had so many decorating ideas in her head that she was having a hard time trying to think of what to do first. She needed the extra time to get it just perfect.

As she went on and on, Lily picked around her food and really did try to add a few ideas of her own for her sister and join the conversation as often as she could.

But once she felt like she couldn't eat anymore she went back up to the nursery to spend a few more hours reading. She sat in there alone, trying to stay focus on her books—until Petunia stepped inside just before Lily's bedtime. But it was only to head straight to their shared bathroom to grab her toothbrush. When Lily watched her leave the room, she somehow knew that this would most likely be the last time she would ever see her sister in this room.

Still, she didn't say a word as she sat at the window seat, her arms wrapped around her legs, and she was staring up at the starry sky for the longest time. The light of the almost full moon cast shadows on the sleeping city, and casting a shadow from a tree in their back yard, making it look like there were bars on her window. It felt strangely appropriate for how she felt at the moment. It really wasn't the room that made her feel like a prisoner… it was how controlling her family was.

Every single day it was the same thing.

Maybe she was sounding a little spoiled and selfish… but she wanted more out of life than what she was stuck with having now. Here, it was all about order and manners… everything in its place and perfect.

She loved her family, and she knew that they loved her, but it was almost suffocating. The way that they kept pushing her into growing up.

Her eyes easily found the brightest star in the sky.

She remembered how she and Petunia would sit up late at night, giggling, and telling amazing stories. They would play games and pretend that they were somewhere else going on adventures like fight dragons or flying through the sky… what happened to that sister she wondered. Did that part of you have to go away when you grow up? Her head swimming with questions she finally left the seat and climbed into bed, pulling up her patchwork quilt over her. Tomorrow would be the last day she would have to be a kid—or so her family said. She curled up and dreamt of happier days.

*A few hours later*

It was far past midnight by the time Lily finally drifted off to sleep. Unbeknownst to her however, just outside her window, a cloud passed over the moon, blanketing everything in darkness. By the time that the cloud drifted away and moonlight returned, something had changed… a skinny boy was sitting on the roof of the next building, trying to get a glimpse through the glass. The boy was concerned as he leaned forward, trying to get a better glimpse of her.

What has been going on lately? Lily had been so unhappy and hadn't been in the mood to tell stories for the longest time. He leaned in farther, wondering if he should stay a little longer or to just go back. But before he could make up his mind, he ended up leaning a little too far down and was forced into a dive.

Trying not to yell out, he tried to regain control—but it was too late—and the next thing that he knew, he went crashing through the window—the doors banging open—and rolling head over heels across the polished floor.

*Inside*

Hearing the loud 'BANG' Lily sat bolt-upright, doing her best to hold back a scream as she blinked awake. Spinning around in her bed, almost falling over her tangled blanket, she stared as she saw a young boy, about her age went sprawled on the floor with a broomstick right next to him. He sat up on his knees, rubbing his behind in pain.

"Oww," he muttered through gritted teeth. "That wasn't fun."

"Well, imagine how I might be feeling!" Lily called out loudly. She looked around and grabbed the nearest thing, her lantern, and held it high in case he came at her.

The boy just realized where he was and scooted back along the floor, holding his hands up, showing that he meant no harm. "Hey, hey, whoa!" he called, eyeing the lamp. "I didn't mean to wake you!"

Lily blinked and stared at his hazel eyes. "It's you!" she gasped. "It was _you_ I saw outside the window last night!"

"Oh, yeah," the boy said standing up uneasily, still rubbing his sore spot as he grabbed his broom. "That was me. Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just… I got a little too close."

Lily was still breathing hard and lowered the lanturn a little, though she kept a tight hold on it. "Who are you?"

"James," he answered with a bow. "James Potter."

"Lily," she answered back stiffly. "My name is Lily Evans."

"Yeah, I know," James said to her without thinking.

"How do you know?" Lily demanded, raising the lantern high again, getting ready to strike.

"Hey!" James said, holding up a hand again. "I didn't mean it like that! I just… I didn't mean to come crashing in! I lost control of my broom and I flew a little…"

"Broom?" Lily demanded shrilly. "Brooms don't fly!"

"This one can!" he explained quickly. "Watch."

Lily watched suspiciously as he mounted the broom and to her amazement, James rose a few feet off the floor until he was hovering airborne. She carefully put the lantern down as she walked forward, unable to believe what she was seeing until she moved a hand right underneath his feet and felt nothing but air.

"You're really flying," she whispered, staring up at him with wide eyes. "A-are you a witch?" she asked softly.

He wrinkled his nose. "A wizard," he correct, putting his hands on his hips as he lowered himself back to the floor. "Witches are female wizards."

"A wizard?" she repeated in hardly more than a whisper, her eyes becoming wide. "You can do magic?"

"What do you call this?" he asked, holding up his broom. "Look, like I said, I didn't mean to come flying in. I kinda lost control and next thing I know is… that I'm here! Sorry."

Lily breathed hard as she moved a little bit away from him as she began to calm her breathing and her beating hard. "Why are you here?" she demanded, some of her shock wearing off.

James looked a little embarrassed before let out a rough chuckle and answered while rubbing the back of his head, "I… ah… I wanted to hear a story?"

She stared at him.

"I've been coming over sometimes to hear you tell stories to your sister," he said with a shrug.

"I haven't told a story for a long time now," she said at once.

"I know," he said, looking around the room. "But I like to come by and hope I get lucky."

"Who are you?" Lily asked suddenly. "Where do you come from?"

"I told you. My name is James Potter and I'm from Hogwarts," he answered, looking at the wardrobe with curiosity. "Never been in a girl's room before…" he muttered to himself.

"Hogwarts?" she repeated in disbelief. "There's no such place."

"Sure there is," he said grinning and grabbed her hand so that he could pull her to the window and pointed up to the sky. "See that really bright star up there? If you fly towards it, you can get to Hogwarts."

Lily sat back down on her bed. "Tell me," she said at once, hoping she didn't sound so skeptical, and wondering if she could trust this strange boy.

"Oh, sure," he said brightly. "Since I've heard you tell your stories so much, looks like you finally get to hear me tell one. But unlike yours, mine are real!"

He sat down on Petunia's bare bed across from her, the window between them still shining moonlight in, and began his tale. "I'm from a place called Hogwarts. It's this great castle surrounded by these huge grounds and a lake with a giant squid! It looks like a bunch of old ruins, but me and a bunch of other kids live there. We're called 'The Marauders'. I chose the name," he added, sounding a little boastful.

Lily raised her eyebrows as he went on, about a magical castle full of secret passages, an enchanted forest, even a village of merpeople living at the bottom of the lake. For the next few hours he talked on and on about his home and Lily stared at him, her mouth opened wide as she listened to him talk in great detail. When he stopped to take a breath, she took a chance to ask: "If you can do magic… then you don't have to grow up?"

"Well, we have to get older," he said. "But we don't have to grow up."

"What's the difference?" Lily asked curiously.

"Well, we grow old like anyone else, but we all still act like kids, even some of the older ones," he said happily. "I won't be able to start taking lessons until I turn eleven, but I've got plenty to do in the meantime! It's amazing! But sometimes I get bored and I like to fly out here. One night a few years ago, your window was open, and I heard you and your sister telling stories. I stopped and listened until your nanny came in and shouted at you both to shut up and go to bed."

Lily laughed. "Yeah, I forgot that she used to do that a lot."

James grinned, when he suddenly thought of something. He turned his head at once to the open window and at the slowly glowing horizon. "Hey," he said, jumping up. "I've got to go."

"Already?" Lily asked in surprise.

"'Fraid so," he said, looking around for his broom. "I gotta leave while I can still see the stars, or I won't know where to go."

"Will you be coming back?" she asked him, half afraid and half eager.

"I would like to hear more of your stories," he said, picking up his broom.

"But…" Lily said slowly, and then finally telling him that she only got one more night here before she was forced to move into that next room, and there, that window didn't open.

James was looking upset, and seemed to be thinking fast. "Hey," he said suddenly, a grin spreading along his features. "I got a great idea! Why don't you come with me?"

Lily blinked. "With you?" she repeated. "You mean to Hogwarts?"

"No, I mean the desert," he said, rolling his eyes. "Of course I mean Hogwarts! Listen, if you come, I can show you everything! You can also learn magic if you want to! How about it?"

Lily stared at him. It seemed too good to be true but…

"Can I come back?" she asked. "Will I be able to come back and see my family?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "I guess… I mean I could bring you back," he said at last, casting an anxious look out the window. "But a lot of kids who find their way to Hogwarts, rarely ever chose to come home." He looked back at her. "To be honest… it all depends of you. See, you can only find this place at night. So if you really don't like it, you'll be gone for at least a couple days."

Lily frowned at that as she thought it over. "I don't know…" she said, and she was truly confused. She didn't know what to do anymore…

"I'll tell you what," he said jumping up so suddenly and spinning around that he looked like a top, he clapped a hand on her shoulder. "You said that tomorrow is your last night in here right?"

"Yes," she nodded slowly

"Well, I'll come back here tomorrow night for your answer," he answered happily. "And if you want to, then I'll take you back to Hogwarts with me. But you have to make up your mind by then ok?"

He stood up on the window seat, and opened the doors as wide as they could go before he stood out on the sill. "You have one day to make up your mind," he reminded her with a winning grin, "I'll see you tonight then!"

And to her amazement, he sprang into a salute before he climbed up onto his broom, and then jumped. With a small scream, she ran to the window and almost threw herself over the edge—expecting to see him falling to the ground, but instead…

She had to pinch herself to make sure that she wasn't dreaming…

He was flying away from her house on the broomstick! It really wasn't a trick!

Her mouth open wide, she stared as he turned and waved goodbye with a rather cocky smile and speed off to the horizon towards the now fading star.


	3. Not that Kind of Girl

**Chapter 2: Not that Kind of Girl**

Lily had sat there, halfway out the window, staring after James with a dumbstruck look on her face, thinking long and hard about his offer. Her body felt so tired at that moment that she wanted nothing more than to lie down and go to sleep, but she didn't think that her mind would let her after everything that happened last night.

She sat there, thinking over and over about what James said until the sun had long risen and she could her mother calling her to breakfast. Tiredly, Lily shut the doors to the window and pulled on a simple blue dress before she went downstairs where her parents and sister were.

Only realizing how hungry she was, she ate everything without complaint and even asked for seconds her mind still racing as she thought about the world that James had gone into such details about. What was she too do? If she didn't take him up on his offer, she might never get another chance to have an adventure like this! But if she went, she might never see her parents or Petunia again too… what to do…?

"Sweetheart?" her mother said, reaching across the table to feel her forehead. "Are you alright? Didn't you sleep at all last night?"

"Yes," Lily said at once as she rubbed her sore eyes. And it wasn't a complete lie… she had been sleeping just fine until a boy came flying through the window on a broom, but she didn't dare tell them that. They would surly think that she had just been dreaming it all up.

"Well, I did hear that there was a slight bug going around," mother said settling back in her seat. "I want you to get plenty of sleep tonight…"

"Maybe," Lily said doubtfully. Not if James was really coming back that is…

"If you ask me, she's faking it," Petunia said darkly.

"Petunia," father said looking up at her. "Be nice to your sister."

"All I'm saying is that she's upset and is now trying to get some attention," Petunia said nastily.

"That's not true!" Lily retorted harshly. She pushed her finished plate away from her and left without another word. Hurt and angry, she went to the living room and curled up in her father's favorite chair by the time her sister came in looking around for the tea set. Lily watched her; and while she often got angry at her sister, she couldn't help but think of how much she would miss her. So she came right out and asked her what she would do if something happened to her tomorrow.

"Why?" Tuney asked coldly. "You think that trick will convince me to move back into the nursery?"

"No," Lily said crossly. "I was just asking. What if I went away tomorrow and you never saw me again? I just want to know what you would do."

"Well, you aren't going anywhere tomorrow are you?" she asked coldly.

Lily knew that there was no chance that she would ever get a straight answer out of her as she watched her sister go marching out of the room.

Lily thought long and hard about what she would say to James tonight, and after a long time of wandering around the house, and even heading out into the streets to make up her mind, she decided that when James would show up, she would let the offer go.

Now, she wanted to go more than anything, but she just couldn't leave her family here without a word could she? However, once she made up her mind and had come inside, she overheard her father say something when she passed by the kitchen.

She wasn't interested at first, at least until she heard her name spoken by her mother did she stop and listen in.

"Aren't we getting a little bit ahead of ourselves, dear?" her mother asked. "I mean, moving them out of the nursery is one thing, but to drop a bombshell like this one on their heads so soon?"

"It's not like it's going to happen in the next few days," he countered. "We have several years to get them used to the idea. While I am hoping it works out, I don't want to see them miserable."

"But the girls don't even know them," mother said.

"And that is why we're going to introduce them this weekend," father informed her. "Nothing is for certain after all."

"But they're still so young, they shouldn't have to be thinking about marriage now," she said. Lily froze, her eyes going wide at that.

"Darling," her mother's voice went on, "I know that it would mean a lot to you, but we shouldn't be forcing them to marry. What if they don't like them?"

"Don't worry, Rose dear. Nothing's for certain," her father said reassuringly. "We just want to see how they take the idea after all. I'm not going to force them down the aisle if that's why you're worried about."

"I know, dear. It's just that Lily's always been so much more headstrong than Petunia. She won't like this at all," mother said.

"We're just going to see how well they get along," he went on patiently, "It's not like we're going to take her out to get a wedding dress tomorrow."

"Yes, well, I hope you're right dear. Who knows, she could possibly like him," she said after a few moments.

Lily had a million thoughts running through her head as she forced the door open and went running in.

"What are you talking about?" she said. "Mummy, Daddy, you can't really mean that."

They both leapt up from their seats, obviously startled by their daughter's appearance.

"Lily dear," her father began.

"Don't change the subject!" Lily had shouted at them. "I don't have to marry anybody I don't want to, and I am certainly not going to marry some stranger who's obviously too pathetic to get a girl on his own!"

"That's enough young lady," father said firmly. "A lady isn't supposed to talk like that."

"Why are you doing this to me? Do you hate me or something?!" Lily demanded, sounding close to crying. "Why do you have to run my life for me? Don't you trust me to make any decisions for myself? Are you going to pick my career for me too? How about you schedule what clothes I should wear every day?"

"Sweetheart," mother said, running around the table to her and pulled her into a hug, "It's not right away. You're only ten for crying out loud. We're going to wait until you're at least seventeen before you even think about marriage! And even then, we're not going to force you to marry anyone. It's only a probability. This weekend you're meeting the son of one of your father's friends. They work together at work and they have boys that are just about your age. It's like… like a playdate or something like that. You're only going to get to know them for the next couple years. If you honestly rather not marry him when the time comes, then you don't have too."

Lily looked up at them both and asked, "You mean that? But you want me too don't you?"

Father sighed as he took her hands, so tiny compared to his big ones. "This is what growing up is all about. We all have to do things that we don't want to. But I really want nothing more than for you to be happy. I swear… you're just going to meet the boy this weekend. That's it. Nothing's been written in stone just yet."

But Lily heard enough. She turned and fled from that room as fast as she could and hid herself in the nursery. About an hour later, she had forced herself to come out and headed to Petunia's room to talk to her—and she wasn't the least bit surprised to hear that her parents had just told her about their possible future marriage.

"I asked daddy about him and I have to say that his family is very rich alright," Petunia sighed as she began to color arranged the clothes in her closet. "His name is Vernon Dursley believe it or not. That's not a half-bad name don't you think?"

Lily was glad to see that her sister was taking the news so well.

"Why do we have to marry?" Lily asked her sourly.

"It's what girls do," Petunia answered simply as she pulled out one of her dresses and held it up in front of a mirror to see how it looked.

"But I'm not that kind of girl," Lily said firmly as she picked at a few stray threats of the rug she was on. "If I am going to marry, I want it to be for love."

"Well, good luck," Petunia said before she put the dress back and took out another one. "Maybe in your baby books there's happy endings. But I plan on having a comfortable life."

"Even if you don't love him?" Lily asked with her eyebrows raised.

"I guess I can learn," Tuney shrugged. "How hard can it be? I mean, I trained myself to like vegetables."

"But mother did say that you don't have to marry right?" Lily pointed out. "If you really don't like him, you don't have to go through with the whole thing?"

"I guess if I rather die than marry him then yes," she said with a nod. "But I'm going to just start planning my wedding now."

"But you still have years," Lily pointed out in surprise. "And I don't know anything about the guy they picked out for me. Just his last name… someone named Malfoy or something like that…?" She hesitated for a moment before she asked her, as if asking what the weather would be like tomorrow, "What if someone came into your room one night and offered you a chance to leave?"

"What are you talking about?" Tuney asked, not really paying attention as she began to put all her shoes in order under her dresses.

"I mean like in our old stories," Lily said, hoping she didn't sound too nervous. "If a—say a wizard on a broomstick—came in through your window one night and offered you a chance to go to a castle where you could learn magic and might never come back would you go?"

"You're still dreaming?" Tuney asked in frustration. "It's about time you stopped those stories."

"I was just asking a question," Lily said crossly. "If you were offered a chance to leave tonight and get away from all of this—" she gestured her arm around the room, "And go someplace else, would you choose to go?"

"How would I know?" Tuney asked annoyed as she finally closed her closet. "What are the odds something like that is going to happen?"

Lily looked down, wondering why she even bothered.

"But if it were true," Petunia said after a moment, "I don't see why not… but come Lily. Wishing for something isn't going to get you far is it?"

"So…" Lily said carefully, "You would… go?"

"Well, I want to know just what I'm getting myself into," Petunia answered as she continued to try to match shoes and clothes. "Get it all in writing… just who is this guy? Can I trust him? And what was in it for him if I did choose to go with him. There are a lot of sicko's and nutjobs out there, Lily. Always remember that."

Lily thought that over. She hadn't realized that. Though she was a lot of things, Petunia did like to think things through. Could she really trust what James said? How did she know that he wasn't lying? Ok, so he could fly on a broom and he did seem a lot like an arrogant berk… but he didn't seem that dangerous or a bad person…? Right?

"Rose…" said her sister suddenly. "No wait… that's mother's name. Maybe… Delphinium instead?"

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked curiously.

"Hey," her sister said, glancing back at her, "If I'm going to marry this guy someday, I want to have a family too. I was thinking of names."

"You aren't even getting married for the next four years and you're already planning baby names?" Lily cried out in shock.

"Why not?" Petunia asked with a shrug. "I want to have kids one day and I'm gonna be prepared for it! Let's see… if it's a girl… Delphinium. Or something like that. I'll choose a flower name if I ever have a girl. What do you think?"

"Me?" Lily asked in surprise. "I don't know. I never thought of it." She sat back and dreamt for a moment. "I've always liked the name Wendy…? Ok, if I ever have a daughter, I'll name her that. But what if you have a boy?"

"Oh, that's easy," Petunia said with a wave of her hand. "Dudley. It's a unique name."

Lily fought to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Dudley? "That's an unusual name," she pointed out.

"But one of a kind," she said proudly.

Lily shook her head as she thought for a moment. "I like the name Harry…"

"Harry?" Petunia said in distain, looking back at her. "Why such a common name?"

"Well, I like it," she said at once fiercely. "If I ever have a son, I'll name him Harry. Of course, I'm not planning on having kids for a long time."

"Fine, whatever," Petunia said, no longer interested. "But he won't thank you for that name. I mean, every other guy you see has that name!"

"Better than Dudley," Lily whispered to herself, secretly thinking that no son of hers was ever gonna have such a stupid name.

"What was that?" Petunia asked coldly.

"Nothing," Lily said softly as she glanced at her sister's window at the darkening sky. Soon, they were called for dinner. Lily didn't say a word to her family as she sat there and ate her food—but unlike this morning at breakfast, she wasn't the least bit hungry as she picked around her plate.

She sat there and listened to Petunia chatter happily to her parents until she just couldn't take it anymore and excused herself. Lily spent the next hour pacing back and forth in the nursery, glancing up at the sky every few minutes, as if expecting James to come back at any time. When she finally couldn't take it anymore she went back over to Petunia's room to talk to her. Petunia was pulling out more dresses to try and figure out which dress she should wear when she meets Vernon. She had narrowed the choice down to two dresses.

"The salmon pink?" Tuney asked, holding up an ugly pink dress in front of her, before holding up another on, "Or the purple?"

Personally, Lily thought that they were both ugly. But she humored her sister and told her to go with the pink—which looked less ugly on her. After she had everything picked out and ready, Tuney told her that she could leave now. Not sure why she did it, Lily got up from the bed and hugged her tightly.

"Why are you acting so lovey?" she asked her suspiciously when she pulled away.

"I just wanted to let you know that I love you," Lily said as she turned and left the room, leaving her sister looking startled at those words.

Lily just went back to the nursery, knowing that this was her last night in this room. She had changed into her long, flowing nightdress and sat up, reading her favorite storybook again—now completely confused as to what to do. What now? If James kept his promise, he would be here soon. Now was her chance… she had a choice.

Either stay here with her life planned out for her, or to go to another world that she knew nothing about? With a boy she didn't know if she could trust?

Lily continued to flip through the pages, the moon streaming in through the window gave her more than enough light to look at the colorful pictures.

Lily's eyes trailed on the picture of a maiden and her true love standing underneath the sky of stars for a long time… just lost in thought. But true to form… just as the grandfather clock struck 12, she heard a slight knock on the window. Looking up, she saw James there on his broom, knocking to come in.

"James," she said and crawled out of bed to unlock the door.

"Hey," he said brightly as he gently flew inside and landed on the floor. "Sorry for being late, but I almost ended up getting attack by some ducks on my way here."

"Ducks?" Lily laughed a little.

"They may not look it, but they're evil little buggers," James said so seriously that she almost believed him, at least until she saw the glint of mischief in his eyes.

"It's ok," Lily said as she sat back down on the bed.

"Did you make up your mind yet?" James asked, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"Before I tell you," she said softly. "Could you tell me a little more about Hogwarts?"

"I guess," James said, looking at the clock. "But I don't have a long time here. It takes a lot longer for two people to ride a broomstick back home."

She listened and the more she heard the more she liked about his friends, and the kind of trouble they liked to get into. The forest full of unicorns and centaurs, the lake that was filled with singing merfolk and the squid… and especially how the mountains were full of wild animals.

James didn't stay for as long as she hoped because he explained that his friend Remus was having a rough time tonight and wanted to be back to the castle by morning to see him.

"Why?" she asked him. "Is he sick?"

"In… a sense. Let's just say that he has a furry little problem," James laughed as he glanced up at the full moon for some reason.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Does he have a biting rabbit or something?"

"I wish," James smiled as he got up and grabbed his broom. He jumped up onto the window seat and turned out to her.

"You leaving already?" she asked with a chirp.

"Yeah…" he said before he turned back to her hand held his hand out for her to take. "So what's it gonna be?" he asked. "It's going to be light in a few hours so we have to go now if we're going to make it back before the sun rises. You want to stay or go?"

Lily sat there on her bed, in her favorite pajamas and knew that this moment would decide the rest of her life. She knew that this was her only chance for her to live out a fairytale of her own—if she didn't go now, she would never be able to. She reached over and picked up her story book and stared at the picture for a minute.

"Come on, Lily," James said, glancing at the clock. "It's getting harder and harder for me to come back and forth between these places. We have to go now or we'll have to wait until tomorrow night. You coming or staying?"

Lily glanced at the door that led to the rest of the house, now this was it.

A life that is planned out, or a life that she chose for herself.

Shutting the book and holding onto it tightly to her chest, she stood up and took his hand. "Show me…" she said.

He gave her a winning grin and suddenly the two of them were pulled through the window and in the night sky.


	4. To the Brightest Star

**Chapter 3: To the Brightest Star**

"Come on, this way," said James as he pulled up right behind him on the broom, and the next thing that Lily knew was that they were in the air. Lily let out a startled scream as she felt her feet leave the floor, and up they began to soar into the night air.

"Put your arms around me, quickly," James cried over the sudden gust of wind and she quickly grabbed his waist and they were off, flying above the buildings, her hair blowing around wildly behind her. Soon she was soaring high enough that the park looked like a small greenish square, surrounded by four grey snake-like roads. At least it did when Lily finally opened her eyes very slightly before they widen in shock.

She stared down as James banked a turn, showing her the whole city. She stared around at everything, never imagining she could ever see something like this from the air. She had dreamt of flying before in the air for as long as she could remember… but this was enough to strike her speechless. The city itself sank beneath them as they rose high into the starry sky. She could see the lights of the lampposts beneath them shine their lights and illuminate the buildings and streets. She gasped in amazement as they hovered in the air for a moment before they turned and began to head up and up… going closer to the sky.

If she couldn't have felt the cold air and the wind making her eyes water, she would've sworn that she was dreaming. It was all a blur as she stared around, feeling her heart beating so hard it was as if it wanted to burst out of her chest.

James slowed down now; rising higher he was now making slow lazy circles around the gargantuan buildings that rose way into the velvety clouds. Rising still higher she looked down, realizing that the whole world looked like a dreamland below them.

Amazed by everything, she ran one of her hands through her hair so that she could hold it back from getting into her face. She could feel the wind underneath her bare feet and they went up even higher like a balloon would before they were eliminated against the bright moon. And she even laughed a little when James went into a short dive before he grinned wildly back at her.

"Come on," he said, "We have a long way to go!"

And so, he turned the broom around and they went off into the direction of the brightest star you could see.

Lily wasn't sure how long this ride was, it had to be several hours at least, all she knew for sure was that they were over the ocean and the moon was constantly at their backs. She wished that she thought to grab a coat before she left though… she was starting to get cold. Thankfully, soon enough, the moon sank away below the horizon, and a sun was coming up instead.

Lily couldn't recognize anything below her as they ended up leaving the sea behind them and were now flying over large green fields and a thick forest to their far side.

"We're almost there!" James called to her. "And boy, will they be surprised when they see you!"

"Don't people usually come here?!" she yelled at him.

"Sometimes, but that's really rare," James admitted. "I mean… kids are the only ones who came come here. There are plenty of grown-ups in the town, but they were all about our age when they got here. They just chose never to go home."

"Why?" Lily asked curiously.

"Maybe like you, they were looking for an adventure," James admitted. "They can leave whenever they want, but they want to stay here."

"How is it that kids are the only ones who can come here?" Lily asked curiously, wondering why that was the case.

"Don't know," he shrugged. "But look at it this way… even if they did go back, where could they go? Most of them had been gone for a few decades."

"Not much reason huh?" Lily asked, slowly understanding what he was getting at.

"I came here by accident when I was really little," James went on. "I don't remember how it happened or where I came from before. Only that I ended up here."

"You mean you don't know who your parents are?" Lily asked in surprise.

"I know my name… James Potter," he said, "And a few other things like my birthday and how old I am… I think I was about five when I came here. But everything else…? I have no idea."

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

But he shook his head, waving his hand a little in her direction. "Don't be," he said. "I mean, I've got a family here! My friends and everything! It's not easy all the time. But we all have each other and that's good enough for us!"

She smiled a little, her heart pounding a little harder before she said, "I'm not sure I like flying this way though!"

He laughed. "Don't worry!" he promised. "You'll get used to it! AH! I can see it now!"

He pointed straight ahead of them and she leaned dangerously over the edge so that she could see for herself. She gasped once more. In the bright sunlight, she could see it… over a large, sparkling lake, perched atop a high mountain was a vast castle with many turrets and towers, its windows shining in this morning light.

"Home sweet home," James said, and he was smiling as he looked back at her. And they began to descend. Lily was so transfixed by the castle, she didn't even notice at first that they were sinking over the lake. It wasn't until she felt her toes skimming over the water did she realize where they were and she laughed a little.

"Show off," she informed him and he grinned back at her.

"Of course!" he laughed, "That's what I do best! Or so everyone says!"

She rolled her eyes until they continued to fly off in the direction of the forest and landed on the very edge. Lily touched down but stumbled and almost fell until she grabbed hold of a tree to keep herself balanced.

"You alright?" he asked cheerfully.

"Yeah," she said shakily as she eventually was able to get her bearings straight. "I'm fine."

"Great!" he said happily as he clapped his hands together. "Now then… we should go see Dumbledore quickly."

"Dumbledore?" Lily asked in surprise and was even more so to see him hide his broom among the trees.

"He's the one in charge around here," James said as he led her up the pathway. "Now we get new kids coming through all the time. So all we have to do is act like you suddenly showed up here."

"Why don't we just tell him that you brought me here?" she asked before she saw how nervous he looked and she understood. "You weren't supposed to?"

"He's pretty lenient on rules," James whispered as they headed up the path. "But he doesn't like it when we go flying off at night. If he found out about that, I'd be in detention until I was his age! And that's pretty darn old, let me tell you. So please… just say you don't know how you got here? He won't complain! Even if he did get angry, it'll be me he yells at. Not you. He'll take care of you. You can trust him."

Lily frowned a little, not sure she liked that idea, but she nodded as she felt her feet beginning to ache, and she was now wishing she grabbed her shoes along with her coat. But she ignored that as they headed up the steps; James told her that since it was so early, they surly wouldn't be spotted until they reached Dumbledore's office.

"Is this a school?" she asked curiously as she raced up the stairs with him.

"Yep," he said brightly. "There's a town too! It's called Hogsmeade! All the adults you see there were kids who found their way here by accident. Most of them move on to other places around here and build towns or travel the land. That's what I'm gonna do! Once I'm done with Hogwarts, I'm going out with my friends to see this whole world."

"The magical one? Is it really big?" Lily asked eagerly.

"I think that Dumbledore should be able to explain it all to you," James said as they wandered the stone hallways, passed suits of armor, and—to her amazement—moving paintings. She stared around her in amazement as they climbed up another flight of stairs and ended up going straight to the end of a long hallway to where an ugly stone gargoyle was waiting for them.

"Me and my best mate Sirius get into trouble all the time," James told her, pride in his tone. "We're almost daily visitors so we know how to get it."

He turned to the statue and said confidently, "Lemon Drop!"

And Lily let out a hastily stifled cry of surprise as the gargoyle sprang alive and jumped out of the way to reveal a spiral staircase that was moving up. She stared at it in amazement as James pulled her inside and they began to ride it all the way up. Up and up… until… slightly dizzy, they were standing in front of a door with a fancy knocker.

"Don't worry," James told her. "The guy's a big softy! All we have to do is tell him that I found you by the forest or something and I brought you here! And no one will ever need to know what really happened."

She nodded in understanding as he knocked and entered the room. Lily had never seen anything like it. It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tainted wizard's hat…

"Professor Dumbledore?!" James called loudly, beaming confidently. But after a few minutes, he frowned a little and called again. "That's weird," he said to her. "Normally he's always here this early."

"Yes," said a deep, aged voice behind them and Lily froze as she spun around with James to see an elderly man, in sweeping purple robes with golden stars, standing there. He had long beard that was so long that it went past his belt and twinkling blue eyes behind his glasses. "And he's probably wondering just why he spotted a couple young ones landing by the forest and hiding a broomstick before coming up here."

She felt James gulp next to her as the man walked forward.

"James?" he said quietly, before smiling at her, "Who is your friend here? And where were you last night?"


	5. The Talking Hat

**Chapter 4: The Talking Hat**

"If I tell you," James said carefully, as if he wanted to go run and hide, "Will you promise not kill me?"

"I make no promises," Dumbledore said, his eyes flashing a little at him but he kept a kind smile on his face when he looked to Lily, who turned red and clenched her book tighter to her chest. "The whole story if you please?"

For the first time, James looked worried as Dumbledore led them to the center of the room and pulled out a very long and thin stick from his pocket. He waved it in the air and Lily's eyes shown as she saw the two chairs appear in front of them.

"A real wand?!" she cried happily, her eyes wide as she stared at it in fascination.

"Yes, dear," he told her gently as they both sat in them before he went to sit in his own. He pulled himself up a little before he looked at them both long and hard. "Ok," he said, looking at James and asked, "Start at the full beginning, James. And I want the whole truth. None of the stories you tell me when we usually catch you doing something you aren't supposed to."

James looked down at his feet and Lily felt really bad for him.

"I wanted to come, sir," she said quickly and he looked at her now. "I asked him to take me here."

"Really?" Dumbledore said kindly to her. He leaned back and waited as James slowly began to tell him the whole story. How that, one day a few years ago, he ended up going too far from the grounds and ended up getting lost. He flew around for hours, trying to figure out where he was and he ended up flying straight off to a place called London. When he landed to try and get himself together, he heard voices talking and he looked over the roof that he was on to see two girls there laughing and telling stories. He mentioned how he thought that one of the girl's stories was really good, how he was on the edge of his seat and couldn't bring himself to stop listening to them. At least until the nanny came in and barked at them to go to bed and turn out the light.

Once they did, James was able to find his way back home just as the sun was coming up. But after that, he went out once in a while to listen to their stories.

"And I'm guessing that would be you, Miss…?" Dumbledore began.

"Lily Evans," she said hurriedly.

"Miss Evans," he finished. "Well, how exactly did you end up coming here? James didn't kidnap you did he? Because if so, we can take you back by tonight…?"

"NO!" she said quickly and blushed a little before she looked down to her dirty feet and went on, "No, sir. See, I wanted to come. I had always dreamed of coming to a place like this for as long as I can remember. There's nothing for me back home."

"What about your family?" Dumbledore asked a concerned frown on his face.

"I can't go back sir," she said quickly. "Please don't take me back yet."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. He glanced at James and said, "We will have a long talk about this later," he said to him. "But for now I wish to talk with Lily."

James nodded and left quickly before Dumbledore turned his full attention to Lily, who was turning red when she looked at the state she was in. A dirty nightdress, her hair a tingled mess, her feet dirty…

But he was still smiling a little as he pulled out his wand again and made a tray of tea and cakes appear. She loved seeing that almost as much as the tea and food before she told him everything. How she lived with her parents and her sister… what life was like there and everything that was going to happen to her if she stayed. She hoped that he could understand that she didn't want to live that kind of life… being controlled and everything. While she did love her family, that just wasn't the life for her. So when James came crashing through her window and started telling her about this place, she wanted to go with all her heart.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Dumbledore said. "And I can understand… but you need to know that life here isn't going to be easy. It's a lot of hard work and dedication. A lot of people aren't cut out for a life like this."

"How hard is it?" Lily asked curiously after she swallowed a large cake.

"This place… is an island," he said, "A large one, but one that not just anyone can find. It only appears at night which is why you can only come and go around then. During the day, this island disappears… or rather," he added, "The way to get to this place disappears."

"You mean with the stars?" Lily asked.

"James told you that?" Dumbledore asked with a smile. "Yes… the stars are the map to this place. There is one star that you must follow in order to get here. But finding your way back can be very difficult if you don't know how to truly navigate the stars. If you want me too, I can take you back tomorrow night. But I want you to understand how dangerous it is. Every time a child is brought here, I ask them the same questions. You are how old again?"

"I'm ten, sir," she said, "I'll be eleven in a few months."

"Well, you're still a little too young to be taking the classes here," he confessed to her. "You see, you have to be at least eleven. There are places all over the island where children like you live until they reach eleven and come here to live."

"Really?" Lily asked a little disappointed. "But James can fly?"

"Oh, yes, you still learn magic," Dumbledore admitted, "But you won't be allowed a wand until you turn eleven and are able to come here." He sighed as he laced his fingers together and observed her, as if wondering what he should do.

"Miss Evans," he sighed. "I don't want to take you away from your family. They must be worried sick about you by now."

"Please," Lily begged. "Just… just let me stay here for a little while. If you're right then it shouldn't take me long to see that I might not be really happy here. Just… give me a chance. Please?"

Dumbledore looked at her for a few long minutes before he sighed. "We can't take you back right away anyway, I'm afraid," he admitted. "So you can stay here for just a few days and then we will decide."

Her eyes lit up excitedly. "You won't be sorry sir!" she cried as Dumbledore smiled at her and told her to wait while he went to get someone. She spent the next ten minutes wandering around the office and look at all the amazing things. That was when she noticed the battered hat up on a shelf behind the desk. It looked like a classic wizard's hat, only dirty and patched like it had seen a few years.

She looked around cautiously, as if making sure that no one else was watching. Good, all the portraits on the walls were sleeping, and Dumbledore was gone. She would just try it out, to feel like a real wizard. She had been reading stories about wizard hats and she once made her very own out of paper when she had been little. But to try out a real one, was too much for her to resist. Cautiously, she lay her book down on the chair as she went around the desk and stood up on her tiptoes to reach the hat.

She pulled it down and put it over her head. Of course it would be so big…

It was large enough to slip right over her head and dropped down so that it covered her eyes.

She laughed a little as she reached up and was about to take it off when she heard a voice say in her ear,_ 'May I help you, Lily Evans?'_

Lily let out a cry of shock a she staggered backwards, almost falling when she hit the desk. "You can talk?!" she cried out.

_'But of course,'_ the hat said smartly in her ear again_. 'And I can sing too. You should hear me sometimes.'_

"How do you know my name?" she asked hurriedly, wondering if she should just take the hat off right now before something happened.

_'Oh, I can see a lot more than you can ever imagine,' _the hat said happily. _'Like right now, I can see everything within your mind since you put me on. Oh, don't worry…' _it added when she went up to take the hat off_, 'I don't mean you any harm. In fact, it's been such a long time since I spoke with anyone.'_

"How is it you can talk?" she asked, her heart beating so hard that it hurt. She couldn't believe that she was here in a school for magic and talking to a hat that actually talked back.

_'I'm more than a talking hat,'_ the hat said, obviously having just heard her thoughts. _'And don't worry, for something tells me that you won't have to wait long to find your place here. In fact, this is part of the test.'_

"Test?" she asked it.

_'Oh, yes,'_ the hat went on. _'Once Dumbledore tries me on any child who comes here and depending on what I say, he either lets you stay or takes you home whether you want to go or not.'_

"But he said that I could stay," she whispered.

_'I also heard him say for now,'_ the hat reminded her. _'But he'll try me on your head soon enough. And if I say that you should stay here, he lets you if you want to. But if I tell him otherwise, he feels that it's best that we take you back before your families grow too worried. I think that he thinks if he lets you stay here for a few days you get homesick and he'll take you back.'_

"Why?" Lily asked worriedly, "Doesn't he want us to stay?"

_'Of course,' _the hat said_, 'However, he was taken from his family a long time ago, and I think a part of him wishes that he could go back. Not that he ever says otherwise. But he can be reasonable if you want him to be.'_

"But why you?" Lily asked, "What do you see?"

_'Just enough to know if this is where you belong,'_ the hat answered happily. _'You see, this whole island is a place where only children can find their way to. But just because you can find your way, doesn't mean that you should.'_

"What?" Lily asked, now feeling more confused by the minute. "So… you're gonna tell him that I should go home?"

_'Maybe, maybe not,'_ the hat said, and it seemed to be really enjoying itself teasing her. _'That's for me and me alone to know and you to find out when the time comes.'_

"But I want to stay," she said quickly, "I don't want to go home just yet! This is what I've been dreaming about since I was little! So please, don't tell him to send me home."

_'I'm afraid that you must wait for my answer,'_ the hat said, _'But I will tell you this… this place may become more of a home to you here, than London ever had. But the question is, will it be worth it in the end?'_

Lily tried to ask it more questions, but no matter what she said, the hat remained silent. Just then, she could hear footsteps coming up and she quickly took the hat off and placed it back on the shelf.

"You're wrong," she whispered. "This is where I want to belong, and I'm going to prove it."

She moved back to the other side of the desk by the time the office door opened and Dumbledore was back. But he wasn't alone, there was a tall woman standing next to him in a long, emerald green robe, square glasses, a stern expression, and her hair tied up in a tight bun in the back of her head.

"Miss Evans?" he asked when he saw her and she went right up to him before he gestured her to the woman. "This is Professor McGonagall," he informed her kindly. "And she'll be able to take care of you for now."

"Hello, Professor," she said with a polite smile.

Professor McGonagall nodded her head to her as Dumbledore went around to pick up her book and gave it back to her. "She has found a spare room for you in the village. We had a word with a young couple about you, and they decided to let you stay with them for now."

She nodded in understanding, fighting hard not to look at the hat that was still up on the shelf.

"For now," he said, "We're going to focus on getting you settled in. We'll wait a couple days before we make up our minds. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your stay."

She nodded before she remembered James and asked what was going to happen to him.

"I've decided to let Professor McGonagall chose his punishment," Dumbledore said, with a look at her, who raised her eyebrows.

"That boy gets into trouble on a daily basis with his little group of friends," she said irritably. "But this is more than just a prank! I swear, causing trouble is what that boy was born into this world for."

"It won't be anything really bad will it?" she asked worriedly.

"He's been given two weeks of detention," she answered, shaking her head. "But that's not something you need to worry about. Come with me, we need to get you some better clothes than this."

"Who are the people letting me stay with them?" Lily asked, suddenly nervous again.

"They are Molly and Arthur Weasley," she answered, taking her hand and leading her to the doorway. "And a nicer pair of people you'll have a difficult time finding. But let's get you cleaned up, you look like you've been riding on a hippogriff bareback."

"What's a hippogriff?" Lily asked at once, but her eyes were bright as she thought about all the things that she wanted to learn. "I want to know everything."

**(So Lily had a long talk with a hat, will be staying with the Weasleys, and is allowed to stay here for the time being. But what about the Sorting Hat? Will it tell them that she should stay? And what's so special about it anyway? That will be in the next chapter!)**


	6. The Hat's Choice

**Chapter 5: The Hat's Choice**

Life at in this world of magic couldn't be any more different than living back in London. Back there, it was always quiet and predictable… here however, there was action and laughter around every corner. McGonagall had given her some new clothes to change into, real witch's robes and a matching hat! After that, she showed her out of the castle and led her across the grounds to the small village where she would be staying with the Weasleys.

After walking for some time, McGonagall led her through the village and up to a large hill to the house that she was to be staying in until they decided once and for all if she could stay here. Lily got a good look at it and guessed that maybe it had been a stone pigpen at one point, but there had been extra rooms added on until it was several stories tall and looked as though the only thing that was keeping it from falling over was some kind of spell. Though now that she thought of it, it might've been if this world was really filled with magic. As she got closer, she could see a worn-out looking sign that read out: The Burrow.

Feeling nervous, McGonagall led her across the yard, scattering the few brown chickens that strutted around the yard and up to the door where there were several rubber boots and a rusted cauldron. McGonagall knocked a few times on the door and about a minute later, a young woman with long, flaming red hair appeared.

"Minerva," she said before looking down at Lily and smiled brightly.

"Molly," McGonagall nodded back, looking pleased to see her. "It's been awhile." She then looked down at her and gave her a little push in the back as she added, "Well, here she is. This is Lily Evans… the girl that Dumbledore told you about."

"I see," Mrs. Weasley smiled at her kindly. "You got here much sooner than I thought that you would. I only got the letter a few hours ago. Well, I'm very pleased to meet you, Lily dear. Come in and sit down. We were just starting to have breakfast." She then looked up to McGonagall and added, "Would you like something to, Minerva?"

"No, thank you," she all business-like. "I have to get back to the castle and plan out James's punishment for this stunt."

"It won't be anything really bad will it?" Lily asked worriedly.

"Nothing life-threatening," she sighed, though she sounded a little bitter about that fact. "But it's nothing that you need to worry about."

She gave her one last nod, reminding her that she'll come back to retrieve her in a few days and to warn her not to get too comfortable just yet. She nodded as she watched her leave and Mrs. Weasley let her inside a rather small and cramped kitchen.

There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, with the clock on the wall opposite her had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens, and You're late. Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking, and One Minute Feasts — It's Magic! And she could even hear the sounds of on the radio of a singer named Celestina Warbeck just starting up a song.

"I'm sorry to hear that James practically kidnapped you," Molly said, her eyes narrowing a little at the thought of it all. "He's always been a bit of a trouble-maker but really…"

"No, don't be mad at him," she said timidly as she was seated at the table and watched her go over to the stove and threw a few sausages into a frying pan.

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked back, "I mean… bringing a young girl here away from her family like that?"

"I asked him too," Lily stated, looking down at her plate and she could feel Mrs. Weasley's eyes on her. She glanced up and saw the startled expression on her face before she sighed, "I'm sure that we can talk about this after you've had some food in you. We have a spare room for you upstairs so you can go up there and get some sleep once you've eaten… but I would like to hear what this has all been about.

Lily, whose stomach was roaring with hunger, could only nod and wait as Mrs. Weasley brought the food to the table.

***The next day***

Lily woke up in a strange bedroom, and stared around wildly, not understanding at first why she was in this room in the first place and not her nursery. But it all came back to her when she looked around and saw her robe and hat at the foot of the bed.

That's right… she chose to come here… on the back of a broomstick. Her heart racing excitedly, she jumped out of bed and went running to the window and stare out at the unkempt garden and sun which was already in the sky.

She wondered if her family saw that she was gone by now and were worried about her. She felt her heart constrict painfully and wondered if she should've left them a note before she left. Though now that she thought about it, how was she supposed to explain that some kid came through her window on a flying broom and took her to a faraway world that they've never heard of before?

But when she heard Mrs. Weasley calling her down the breakfast, she couldn't help but feel as though she was weightless as she went skipping downstairs.

She and Mr. Weasley had both been very kind to her, more than happy to have her around the house. She had also found out that they were expecting a baby in a couple more months and they said that they needed to practice having children around, so they always ready to help her out with anything that she needed.

And Lily promised them that she would help them out with their new baby if she was allowed to stay here.

"But really dear," Molly said that morning, after Lily had told her and her husband her whole story, "I know that it doesn't sound fair, but they said so themselves that they would never let you marry someone you despised."

"I know that," she sighed, "But I just can't go back… not yet. I want to stay here at least for a little while… Professor Dumbledore said that I could stay until some sort of hat…?"

"The Sorting Hat," Mr. Weasley nodded. "Yes, we know about that."

"How does a hat talk anyway?" Lily asked, unable to imagine such a thing even if it was enchanted or something.

"Can't say for sure," he answered as he took a bit of toast, "But they say that the hat can see into the future. That it will know everything about you from the moment it's placed on your head. Now, I don't know about it being able to see the future, but I do know that it can look into your mind and tell if you have what it takes to be able to use magic. Some people just don't and they don't belong here."

"So…" Lily said cautiously, "If the hat doesn't see any potential in me…?"

"Then you will have to go back, my dear," Mr. Weasley told her regretfully as Mrs. Weasley picked a few sausages from the pan and laid them out on the plate in front of Lily. "Everything will be decided day after tomorrow. But you're more than welcome to stay here with us until then."

"And if the hat says that I can stay?" she asked, feeling a little put out that her fate was in the hands of a hat of all things.

"Well, you have to be at least eleven to go to school in the castle," he said, "And you said that your eleven birthday isn't for another few months… and since the start of the school year is in September, you'll have to wait…?"

"Another year…?" Lily asked despairingly.

"Well, most children your age do learn some bits of magic," Molly explained, "They're just not allowed a wand until they're eleven. But such things as flying you're more than able to learn…"

Lily's eyes widen in wonder at the thought of being able to fly on her own, but she had to remind herself that she had to wait until it's certain that she would be allowed to stay here. Mr. Weasley finished his breakfast, patted Lily on the head, and gave his wife a long kiss before he turned and left for work.

Mrs. Weasley put the plates in the sink and pulled out her wand so that they started to wash themselves, Lily's eyes as wide as any of the plates that were being washed, before she turned back to her and said that she needed to do a little shopping.

"You sure you'll be ok?" Lily asked, wondering about the baby.

"The baby's not due for a few more months dear," she smiled happily at the thought, "And I might as well do what I can before then. Besides, I've been at home for several days now. I think that this will be good for us."

And after Lily had changed, she accompanied Mrs. Weasley into the bustling town. It was unlike anything she had seen before. Mrs. Weasley called this part Diagon Alley, and it's the biggest town here on the island. They went shopping around for a few cookbooks in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all.

She had always loved books, and she was itching to get her hands on some of them, her eyes trailing a little on a book called Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.

Jelly-Legs? Hair loss? That couldn't be good.

After that, they went to a shop to buy a brand new cauldron, and even to the Apothecary to where she was able to see some of the strangest things she had ever known. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. Her eyes were drawn at once to the silver unicorn horns and asked Mrs. Weasley if there were really unicorns here.

"Of course dear," she answered as they moved to the pet shop next so that they could buy a new owl, which it turns out was how they were able to send messages to each other. "But they live in the forest, and that place is full of so many dangerous creatures. Only a handful of people, called Auror's are able to go in there and they're trained professionals.

Lily turned her attention to the forest in the distance, and couldn't help but wonder what was in there that made it so dangerous. But she was determined to do anything it took to remain on everyone's good side and watched as Mrs. Weasley picked out an owl whom she called Errol.

But as they were heading back to the house, she couldn't help but look at the forest again, and wondered just what it would be like to go in there… her heart beating excitedly at the thought.

***Several days later***

It was the morning of the day that McGonagall would come back to take her up to the castle and Lily couldn't help but feel like she was going to be sick. She woke up so early that the sun was just barely up, but once she was, she couldn't get back to sleep. She got dressed and paced anxiously around the room as she waited for that afternoon where her fate would be decided…

She barely ate anything at the breakfast despite Mrs. Weasley's urges… everything just tasted like cardboard to her. At long last, McGonagall showed up exactly at twelve and she waved goodbye to the Weasleys, wondering if this would be the last time she would ever see them. She didn't speak much as McGonagall led her through the village and across the grounds, with her imagining just what was going to happen. The best thing would be that she would be allowed to stay here and learn magic, and the worst would be that she would be forced to go back home to that same dull life with a distant family.

She just couldn't speak to McGonagall but she kept herself going with her head held high as she thought about what the hat might or might not say. She didn't say anything until they finally went up through the castle and back up to Dumbledore's office before he set her on a small stool and had the Sorting Hat in his hands.

He calmly reassured her that it wasn't going to hurt her at all. That all he was going to do was place that hat over her head and it will look in her mind to see if she had the potential for magic, and if she did he couldn't think of any reason why she shouldn't be allowed to stay here.

Lily nodded as he gently placed the hat over her head. Just like last time, it was so large that the hat slipped down over her eyes so that she couldn't see anything but the darkness inside.

For a moment, nothing happened and then she heard the hat's voice in her ear again… _'Well, well, well… I told you that we'd meet again.'_

_'Yes,' _Lily thought nervously. _'So what are you going to do? I can take it.'_

_'Well, I could send you home or make you stay here,' _the hat said smartly._ 'Just because you want to stay here for now, doesn't mean that you are meant to be here. This little island is full of danger. And if you stay here, your future could be put into jeopardy.'_

_'What do you mean?'_ Lily asked, frowning a little at that. She remembered what Mr. Weasley said about the hat being able to see your future and couldn't help but wonder just what it was that it knew.

Just then the hat laughed. _'I see you've heard all the stories about me? Well, me being able to see the future or not is something that only I know. But I just wanted you to see that you are picking your own poison here so to speak. So I will only ask you one more time. Are you sure that you wish to stay?'_

Lily thought it over before a single word crossed her mind._ 'Yes.'_

_'Very well,' _the hat said,_ 'I suppose…' _And then it told the others, "I see that she has a great deal of potential!"

Her heart beat loudly in her chest as a smile spread across her face when they lifted the hat off her head. She spent the next few hours with the two of them there in that office as they told her everything that she needed to know. How they informed her that she could start school the very next year, and she was welcomed to stay with the Weasleys until that time so long as she behaved herself.

Lily hung on to every word that they said until McGonagall informed her that she would take her back down to the gates of the castle where a carriage would take her back to the village. Since she had an afternoon class she couldn't take her back herself, but Lily just smiled, almost skipping along as McGonagall accompanied her all the way to the gates and waited until the carriage was in sight, being pulled along by some kind of invisible horse.

"There is still time for you to make up your mind, Lily," McGonagall informed her quietly. "For you to return home. It's very rare, but sometimes we do get students who become homesick and often find out that they cannot return home."

"Why is that?" Lily couldn't help but ask.

"Because usually, their families aren't there anymore by the time they do go home," she sighed and Lily couldn't help but notice how sad she looked and wondered if she was talking about herself more than a warning to her.

"I'll keep that in mind," she promised. And that was all that McGonagall seemed to want as she nodded to her and turned as she headed back to the castle. Lily stood there and watched after her, wondering just what it was that made her so sad all of a sudden. But as she got into the carriage and looked out the window to where the Dark Forest was clearly in her sights, she couldn't help but have to fight the urge to jump out and run there.

She wasn't sure, but there was just something about those thick trees that seemed to draw her in, to make her ache to run right into the darkness. She smiled, wondering just what was wrong with her when everyone told her just how dangerous it was…

But at that moment she saw something. Through the darkness she spotted a feeble sparkle much like a sphere of golden light shining through the trees. She gasped a little as she pressed her nose against the glass to try and get a better look at it, but she blinked and it disappeared into the darkness again.


End file.
